Sunday 11 September 2016

Long Church, Short Visit


Long Melford is a long village, two-and-a-half miles from one end of its main street to the other, and it has a long church as well, it's believed to have the longest nave of any parish in England. And of course it's got a long and interesting history too.


There's been a church on the site since Saxon times but the main body of the church dates from the late fifteenth century. It's immediately obvious that it's much too big for a village church, but at that time this sleepy corner of Suffolk was the economic, agricultural and industrial powerhouse of the nation. And the reason was wool. This building and others like it were financed by wealthy merchants and farmers with one eye on the hereafter and the other on enhancing their power and reputation in this life.


These "wool churches", as they are known, attract a constant stream of visitors during the summer months and this particular one even has a gift shop tucked in the corner - something you frequently encounter in our great cathedrals but seldom in a village church. The upkeep of these ancient buildings demands that all sources of revenue are utilised. 


Remarkably much of the stained glass at Long Melford is medieval and really worthy of much greater examination than I had time for. Another time, perhaps.


The reredos is a detailed and intricate piece of sculpture and on the right of the picture above you can glimpse one of the many memorials to the great of the parish.


Much more modest is this tiny but charming scene showing the Adoration of the Magi. It dates from as long ago as 1350 and is a rare survival from those times. It was discovered buried under the floor during the eighteenth century, having perhaps been hidden there at the time of the Reformation. It's worth clicking on the image to enlarge it: on the left you can see the midwife plumping up the pillows behind Mary's head and there are two calves peering out from under the bed, meanwhile on the right of the picture is, I suppose, Joseph, exhausted by the business of childbirth, and sleeping with his head on his staff.


At the east end of the church there is a small Lady Chapel which is quite separate from the rest of the church.


These ladies, on the other hand, are central to this and every other church in the land, as they are the ones responsible for the cleaning, brass polishing, flower arranging and all those other jobs which go largely unnoticed (unless nobody does them!).


The tower, which looks just right for the rest of the church, it may surprise you to learn (it surprised me anyway) is of a completely different date to everything else. It's a Victorian structure built around a seventeenth century brick tower and is the work of George Bodley whose work we've seen elsewhere, usually church and college renovations in the Arts and Crafts style. When he put his mind to it he could also do Victorian Gothic too, which blends in almost seamlessly with the Gothic Perpendicular of the nave and chancel.

And so, all too soon, farewell to one of the finest churches in the East of England.


Take care.



19 comments:

  1. The Adoration of the Magi is just wonderful! I love the first magi pushing up his crown to relieve his brown. I'm sure those things get heavy!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful! I can imagine how long it took to build this church. The craftmanship is incredible and with such tools! Amazing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The main part of the church took 30 years to build, between 1467 and 1497.

      Delete
  3. Gorgeous church.. thanks for the tour and info on it.
    Wonderful post!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautiful details, so impressive if you think how old this all is.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fascinating tour, John. Thank you. I can imagine the financial burden maintenance of this old building creates, but from all appearances the parish has managed it well. You have so many such structures throughout the country that it amazes.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi John - I've been there and to a couple of other churches nearby ... stunning as you say and well worth another visit - at some stage I hope to do this ...

    Cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  7. Breathtakingly beautiful and very interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Went here a few years ago John - such an interesting church. A famous poet is buried in the churchyard but I can't for the life of me remember who it is. If I remember I will get back to you.

    ReplyDelete
  9. An incredible looking church, Well built and maintained.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This looks well worth a visit. I've been through Long Melford several times but have never had time to stop and explore.It's only Hal an hour or so from my son's house though so next time I go I might suggest an 'expotition' as Christopher Robin would say:)

    ReplyDelete
  11. That is a very long church, and the tower fits well even if it's a different age. We visited the "wool church" in Northleach on our last trip, a fascinating story!

    ReplyDelete
  12. That's an amazing church! Thanks for sharing your photos and history.

    ReplyDelete
  13. oh, I feel so envious and displaced. I would love to be there as one of the Altar Guild Ladies, - such a precious and beautiful church to care for.

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a fabulous church! I would have to spend a lot of time there capturing everything!

    ReplyDelete
  15. It is indeed a splendiferous church John, as you say the nave and the stained glass windows are impressive, the lighting also. It must have been something tres important to drag you away from your explorations :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. John, this is one of your finest series. I loved the contrast between the fine details and the pair of women keeping the church going.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment. I'll try to answer any questions via a comment or e-mail within the next day or two (no hard questions, please!).